Three lanes of M7/M9 Motorway set to be opened for All-Ireland final

By COLIN BARTLEY

THE ROAD to Croker was a difficult journey for Kilkenny this year, but the road to the final should be significantly easier to negotiate for the Cats supporters come All-Ireland Sunday.

The three lanes on the M7/M9 south of Naas should be fully operational well in time for Kilkenny’s match against Tipperary.

The opening of the 13.5km stretch of motorway will significantly reduce journey times, according to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which will be welcome news to Kilkenny commuters.

For the foreseeable future, the speed limit of 80km per hour will apply as limited works will be continuing in the hard shoulder and roadside verge areas.

The increase to the 120km per hour speed limit is not expected to be in place until mid-September when works on the hard shoulder and roadside verge are complete.

According to SIAC and Colas, the companies constructing the M7/ M9 motorway, a total of 78,000 motorists use the road each day.